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Friends Freedmen's Association Records

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG4-024

Scope and Contents

Contains the records of the Friends' Freedmen's Association, including minutes, charter, by-laws, minutes, reports, and publications. Also includes material relating to the Association's initial efforts to provide relief and instruction to people recently emancipated from slavery in the South, its subsequent development of school for the children of freedmen, its support and management the Christiansburg Industrial Institute, Cambria, Virginia, and its more recent efforts to support education for blacks at various colleges.

Dates

  • 1863-1982

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Access is through microfilm when available: Film Org.F 1-5

Copyright and Rights Information

Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

In March 1862 a group of Philadelphia Orthodox Quaker women formed “the Women's Aid Association on behalf of the destitute freed Negroes in the Southern States”. In November 1863 a corresponding group of Orthodox men Friends organized “the Friends Association of Philadelphia and its vicinity for the Relief of Colored Freedmen” [later changed to “Friends Freedmen's Association of Philadelphia] which worked closely with the Women's Aid Committee. By 1864 Committees on clothing, instruction, publication, farming, stores, as well as nominations, had been established.

In the 1860's and 1870's, the Association was concerned both with relief work and with the establishment of schools for the children of formerly enslaved people. By 1868 there were 25 schools in North Carolina and Virginia, managed and supported by the Association, and later the number of schools increased to 46. By end of the century the counties and states had assumed the role of supplying rudimentary education of African American youth, and the relief work which had been such a large part of the Association's early activity was no longer necessary. Friends' Freedmen's Association channeled its interest and finances into the Christiansburg Industrial Institute, Montgomery County, VA. The Institute was founded in 1866 by Captain Charles Schaeffer, but shortly thereafter its management and financial support were taken over by Friends' Freedmen's Association.

The Christiansburg Industrial Institute grew to include a farm, a Primary and Intermediate School (Hill School) and a High School (Institute) teaching, in addition to academic work, farming, carpentry, blacksmithing, printing, sewing, cooking and household arts. In 1934 the title of the Hill School passed to the Montgomery County School Board, which also took over the management and operation of the Institute, though the title remained in the hands of Friends' Freedmen's Association until 1947.

From 1947-1955 the Association supported black students in schools and summer work camps. From 1955-1970 the income from investments was used to provide grants for scholarship to needy black students. From 1970 income and principal was distributed yearly primarily among Bryn Mawr, Earlham, Guilford, and Haverford Colleges. In January 1982 the Association was dissolved. The funds were distributed among the four colleges named above to be used as aid to black students as the J. Henry Scattergood Scholarship Fund.

Extent

9 Linear Feet (18 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

Friends' Freedmen's Association was an organization of Philadelphia Quakers founded in 1863 as Friends' Association of Philadelphia and Its Vicinity, for the Relief of Colored Freemen. Its purpose was to provide relief and education to formerly enslaved people during and after the Civil War. The name was changed circa 1873. From 1947-1955 the Association supported black students in schools and summer work camps. From 1955-1970 the income from investments was used to provide grants for scholarship to needy black students. From 1970 income and principal was distributed yearly primarily among Bryn Mawr, Earlham, Guilford, and Haverford Colleges. In January 1982 the Association was dissolved. The funds were distributed among the four colleges named above to be used as aid to black students as the J. Henry Scattergood Scholarship Fund. The collection contains the records of the Friends' Freedmen's Association, including minutes, charter, by-laws, minutes, reports, and publications. Also includes material relating to the Association's initial efforts to provide relief and instruction to people emancipated from slavery in the South, its subsequent development of school for the children of freedmen, its support and management the Christiansburg Industrial Institute, Cambria, Virginia, and its more recent efforts to support education for blacks at various colleges.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into twenty-four series. The series are:

  1. Charter and By-Laws
  2. Executive Board
  3. Instruction Committee
  4. Committee Reports
  5. Statistics of Schools
  6. School Reports
  7. Correspondence Sent
  8. Correspondence Received
  9. Correspondence
  10. Annual Reports
  11. Financial
  12. Schedule of Goods Forwarded
  13. Woman's Aid Committee
  14. WAC Financial Records
  15. WAC Correspondence Received
  16. Christiansburg Industrial Institute
  17. Catalogues
  18. Financial Papers
  19. Miscellaneous Papers
  20. The Freedmen's Friend
  21. Miscellaneous Printed
  22. Newspaper Clippings
  23. Memorabilia
  24. Correspondence

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1975

Gift of Bernard S. Haines, 1983

Processing Information

Material organized, put in document boxes and placed in RG 4.

Title
An Inventory of the Friends Freedmen's Association Records, 1863-1982
Author
FHL staff
Date
2000
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries

Revision Statements

  • 2020: Updated outdated terminology referring to African American people except where it appears in a title, quotation, or subject heading.

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

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Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA